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:**[[Quinisext Council|Quinisext/Penthekte Council]] (= Fifth and Sixth) or Council in Trullo, (692); mostly an administrative council that raised some local [[canon]]s to ecumenical status and established principles of clerical discipline. It is not considered to be a full-fledged council in its own right because it did not determine matters of doctrine. This council is accepted by the [[Orthodox Church]] as a part of the [[Sixth Ecumenical Council]], but that is rejected by [[Roman Catholic Church|Roman Catholics]].
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At an '''Ecumenical Council''', the [[bishop]]s of the entire [[Church]] recognize what the truth is and proclaim it. The proclamation is then verified by the agreement of the whole Christian people. Both the bishop’s bishop's recognition and the people’s people's verification, is believed to be inspired by God.
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==Councils==
Not all councils are ecumenical. Most are just local councils dealing with local administration. Also, councils of bishops can err or be deceived. Even when a council is called to be an ecumenical council, that does not make it so. A council is said to be ecumenical if it bears witness to the true faith of the entire (ecumenical) Church.
== Seven or Nine Ecumenical Councils? ==
As far as some Orthodox are concerned, since the [[Seventh Ecumenical Council]] there has been no synod or council of the same scope as any of the Ecumenical councils. Local meetings of hierarchs have been called "pan-Orthodox," but these have invariably been simply meetings of local hierarchs of whatever Eastern Orthodox jurisdictions are party to a specific local matter. From this point of view, there has been no fully "pan-Orthodox" ('''Ecumenical''') council since 787. Unfortunately, the use of the term "pan-Orthodox" is confusing to those not within Eastern Orthodoxy, and it leads to mistaken impressions that these are ''ersatz'' ecumenical councils rather than purely local councils to which nearby Orthodox hierarchs, regardless of jurisdiction, are invited.
== List of Ecumenical Councils ==
* I. [[First Ecumenical Council|First Council of Nicea]], (325); repudiated [[Arianism]], adopted the [[Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed|Nicene Creed]].
* II. [[Second Ecumenical Council|First Council of Constantinople]], (381); revised the [[Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed|Nicene Creed]] into the present form used in the [[Orthodox Church|Eastern]] and [[Oriental Orthodox]] churches.
* III. [[Third Ecumenical Council|Council of Ephesus]], (431); repudiated [[Nestorianism]], proclaimed the Virgin Mary as the Mother of God (Greek, [[Theotokos|Θεοτόκος]]).
* IV. [[Fourth Ecumenical Council|Council of Chalcedon]], (451); repudiated the [[Eutychianism|Eutychian]] doctrine of [[Monophysitism]], described and delineated the two natures of Christ, human and divine; adopted the [[Chalcedonian Creed]]. This and all following councils are not recognized by [[Oriental Orthodox|Oriental Orthodox Communion]].
* V. [[Fifth Ecumenical Council|Second Council of Constantinople]], (553); reaffirmed decisions and doctrines explicated by previous Councils, condemned new [[Arianism|Arian]], [[Nestorianism|Nestorian]], and [[Monophysitism|Monophysite]] writings.
* VI. [[Sixth Ecumenical Council|Third Council of Constantinople]], (680-681); repudiated [[Monothelitism]], affirmed that Christ had both human and Divine wills.
* VII. [[Seventh Ecumenical Council|Second Council of Nicaea]], (787); restoration of the veneration of [[icons]] and end of the first [[iconoclasm]].
* VIII. [[Eighth Ecumenical Council|Fourth Council of Constantinople]], (879-880); restored St. [[Photius the Great]] to his see in Constantinople and anathematized any who altered the [[Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed]], abrogating the decrees of the [[Robber Council of 869-870]]. This council was at first accepted as ecumenical by the West but later repudiated in favor of the robber council in 869-870 which had deposed Photius.
* IX. [[Ninth Ecumenical Council|Fifth Council of Constantinople]], (1341-1351); affirmed [[hesychasm|hesychastic]] theology according to St. [[Gregory Palamas]] and condemned the Westernized philosopher [[Barlaam of Calabria]].
==Later Councilscouncils==
Although based strongly on the [[Ecumenical Councils]] Orthodox doctrine continues to be defined through the church. These include the mind of the church as expressed through [[Local Councils]] and letters or statements of faith put out by individual bishops. Those decisions/statements made in the past that bear particular importance today are:
#The Reply of the Orthodox Patriarchs to Pope Pius the Ninth (1848)
#The Reply of the Synod of Constantinople to Pope Leo the Thirteenth (1895)
#The Encyclical Letters by the Patriarchate of Constantinople on Christian unity and on the ‘Ecumenical Movement’ Movement' (1920, 1952)
Documents 5-9 are sometimes called the '''Symbolical Books''' of the Orthodox Church
== See also ==
*[[Canons of the Orthodox Church]]
== External links ==
* [http://www.oca.org/OCchapter.asp?SID=2&ID=5 The Councils] - Fr. Thomas Hopko's outline of the Ecumenical Councils (in "the rainbow series" [[Orthodox_Catechisms_in_English|catechism]])
* [http://home.it.net.au/~jgrapsas/pages/Ecumenical_Councils.htm The Ecumenical Councils of the Orthodox Church] by the V. Rev. N. Patrinacos